Getting Started on Farm-Fresh Local Foods

A valuable approach to increasing the availability of local fruits and vegetables is the establishment of a food policy council (FPC) by state or local policy-makers. Food policy councils can include state government officials, retail industry leaders, state and local health and zoning boards, nonprofit organizations and economic development or redevelopment officials.  FPCs may take a variety of forms and can also include officials from agriculture departments and schools.  FPCs can help to establish and support farmers’ markets, community gardens and the procurement of locally-grown food.

Support Farmers' Markets

• Farmers’ markets can be part of a more comprehensive food retail development program.
• State policy-makers can introduce and pass legislation that provides grants for farmers’ markets.
• Local policy-makers can support local farmers’ markets by designating public land for markets and providing logistical support, such as traffic control and cleanup.
• Local officials can provide additional support in the form of a steering committee, dedicated staff positions, a centralized source of support within the city administration, or policies that encourage the growth of new markets.
• State and local policy-makers can implement programs that provide support for the purchase of wireless electronic benefit transfer (EBT) devices at farmers’ markets to increase sales among EBT card users. They can also require that all new farmers’ markets accept EBT cards.

Support Community Gardens

• Community gardens can be part of a more comprehensive food retail development program.
• Suburban sprawl has left some inner-city neighborhoods with vacant parcels of land. Local policy-makers can partner with private land owners to buy/lease unused land for community gardens and promote and protect community gardens through resolutions, land-use plans or zoning ordinances.
• Local policy-makers can issue bonds to nonprofits to transform vacant lots.
• Local policy-makers can further promote gardens by providing city resources to nonprofit groups who run community gardens, reducing or waiving plot fees or locating the gardens within walking distance of lower-income neighborhoods.
• Local policy-makers can start an initiative to redevelop and clean up vacant land that can be transformed into community gardens.

Support the Procurement of Locally Grown Food

• Local food procurement can be part of a more comprehensive food retail development program.
• Local government agencies can work with schools and school districts as well as local supermarkets and restaurants to develop a food distribution plan that incorporates local, farm-fresh produce in school cafeterias, restaurants, supermarkets and other entities.